Rating Virtual World Merchandise by Avatar Visits

• US 20090216546A1
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Yunwu, Ponzo, John J., Mahmud, Jalal Uddin, Pollak, Roger Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products

Abstract

A computer implemented method and apparatus to generate popularity ratings for virtual world artifacts based on how often and in what manner avatars access the artifacts. The popularity ratings for virtual world artifacts may be used to determine what virtual world artifacts are selected to have a prominent presence in a virtual world. When an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world is detected, the illustrative embodiments receive information about the event, such as the event type, the avatar identifier (ID), and the time the event occurred. The illustrative embodiments generate a rating score for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event. The illustrative embodiments update a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the rating score.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for rating virtual world artifacts, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to detecting an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world, receiving information about the event;

generating a rating score for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event; and

updating a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the rating score.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information about the event includes an access type of the event.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the information about the event includes an avatar identifier or a time the event occurred.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the access type of the event is movement of the avatar within a predefined distance of the virtual world artifact.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the access type of the event is a reference to the virtual world artifact in a monitored conversation of the avatar.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the access type of event is touching of the virtual world artifact by the avatar.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the access type of event is a purchase transaction of a virtual world artifact by the avatar.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a different rating score for each different access type of event.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the rating score with identity information about the virtual world artifact to a remote server to generate a new rating score for the virtual world artifact.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the rating score for the virtual world artifact comprises combining a rating score resulting from the event and a historical rating score of the virtual world artifact.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the rating score is used to determine a display prominence of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world comprises displaying the virtual world artifact in a graphical manner to draw a user'"'"'s attention to the artifact before other artifacts present in the display if the rating score is a high rating score, and displaying the virtual world artifact in a graphical manner to decrease a user'"'"'s attention to the artifact before other artifacts present in the display or removing the virtual world artifact from display if the rating score is a low rating score.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the rating score is generated based on a number of times the virtual world artifact is accessed within a specific time window.

14. A data processing system for rating virtual world artifacts, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to receive, in response to detecting an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world, information about the event;

generate a rating score for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event; and

update a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the rating score.

15. A computer program product for rating virtual world artifacts, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for receiving, in response to detecting an event caused by an avatar accessing a virtual world artifact in a virtual world, information about the event;

computer usable program code for generating a rating score for the virtual world artifact based on the information received about the event; and

computer usable program code for updating a rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world based on the rating score.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the information about the event includes an access type of the event.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the access type of the event is at least one of movement of the avatar within a predefined distance of the virtual world artifact, a reference to the virtual world artifact in a monitored conversation of the avatar;

touching of the virtual world artifact by the avatar;

or a purchase transaction of a virtual world artifact by the avatar.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for generating the rating score for the virtual world artifact comprises computer usable program code for combining a rating score resulting from the event and a historical rating score of the virtual world artifact.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the rating score is generated based on a number of times the virtual world artifact is accessed within a specific time window, and wherein the rating score is used to determine a display prominence of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for updating the rendering of the virtual world artifact in the virtual world comprises computer usable program code for displaying the virtual world artifact in a graphical manner to draw a user'"'"'s attention to the artifact before other artifacts present in the display if the rating score is a high rating score, and displaying the virtual world artifact in a graphical manner to decrease a user'"'"'s attention to the artifact before other artifacts present in the display or removing the virtual world artifact from display if the rating score is a low rating score.